Peppermint Candy  X Factor Undercover
by LoraLeiRiddle
Summary: The X Factor Judges and Contestants need close guarding this year... Who better than a group of six Anima Positives to complete this mission? Contains slash, het, lemons and JEDWARD!
1. Characters

**Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome! To this X Factor fanfic. This fic will contain slash, violence, RPS (that's Real Person Slash) and low amounts of Cheryl and Danni as I don't like them that much. But there will be high amounts of Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and JEDWARD! As they are absolutely amazing. (Yeah, I am a Jedward fan. Deal with it. ;) ) So enough from me here and let's meet my four own characters!**

**Peppermint Candy: Character and story Introductions ****– Don't skip this page, otherwise you won't understand what my character's look like or the storyline.**

It's 2009 in a parallel universe, and a new race of humans has been created. They are known as Anima Positive, humans with distinct characteristics, appearances and abilities taken from animal DNA. These Anima Positives are also given super abilities, much like a comic book superhero. The purpose was to help fight battles that a country might get involved in, but most Anima Positives prefer to live a quiet life, blending in with society. One group however lead a very different life – running their own club 'Peppermint Candy' and doing various hired jobs for an underground organisation, run by Max. Nothing is known about this organisation anywhere, but if you can contact them, they may be able to help. For now, the Anima Positives have been hired for a special operation involving the X Factor…

Sapphire Dreamcatcher

Age: 19/20  
Appearance: Standing at around 5ft7, not completely tanned, but not too pale, short spiky indigo hair and dog ears and tail. She wears a silk ice blue corset and short black denim shorts, with knee high black suede platform boots. She wears a necklace with a key charm on it. The top of the key is a heart instead of a circle.  
Anima Positive: Combined with Dog DNA (specifically Huskies), Sapphire has her distinct ears and tail that give away her Anima Positive status. She is fast, agile, very strong and extremely loyal to her friends. She can become very aggressive in battle. Sapphire can transform into a small black and white husky with ice blue eyes if she needs to escape. All four members of the team have highly developed animal senses.  
Powers: Sapphire has been given the power to control the element of water. She also has telepathic (min reading) and telekinesis (moving objects with mind power) abilities.  
Best at: Assassination requests. A highly trained killer, Sapphire will always hit her target. 

Sapphire can be quite loud and aggressive, but once you get to know her she has a sweet nature. People often compare her to Simon Cowell, saying the two put up a 'Mr Nasty' front but are actually very kind and gentle in real life.

Sam Daisu

Age: 24  
Appearance: Around 6ft tall, pale with spiky black hair and wears black glasses. Usually wears a blue ¾ length sleeved shirt with black skinny jeans and black brogues.  
Anima Positive: Combined with Snake DNA, Sam only gains his animal features in battle when his eyes turn into yellow slits and his tongue becomes forked. Same is agile and fast, but tends to fight sneakily instead of using head-on attacks like Sapphire. Sam can turn into a black python, but prefers to be human.  
Powers: Sam has the ability to control the element of sand. He also has psychic abilities, although he creates force fields and can teleport himself anywhere he chooses. Unfortunately, only he can do this and cannot take anyone with him.  
Best at: Gathering information. 

Sam is quite cunning and is the 'leader' of the team. He tends o make intelligent decisions and usually knows what's best. He tries to look out for Sapphire, but she often feels he is too bossy and impatient with her. Sam has been compared to Danni Minogue for his good judgements and intelligent nature.

Kyle Mirta

Age: 24  
Appearance: Around 5ft8/9, Kyle has spiky blonde hair and is fairly pale. He wears a white ¾ length sleeved shirt with a brown pinstripe waistcoat over the top. He also wears black skinny jeans and black converse.  
Anima Positive: Kyle has Rat DNA in his body. This gives him rat ears and tail when in battle. He is very quick and able to spot ways of leaving battles if things get rough. Kyle can turn into a albino rat if required.  
Powers: Kyle can control the element of ice and has super speed.  
Best at: Healing people. Kyle is definitely the medicine man of the team. 

Kyle is quite quiet and observing in situations. He looks after the team and fusses like a mother hen. Kyle tries to look out for others and always be happy and polite to everyone he meets – except when they start on his friends. Then his temper can change very quickly! Kyle has often been compared to Louis Walsh for his sweet nature and charming personality; plus the fact that he and Sapphire are best friends yet argue a lot!

Robert Links

Age: 24  
Appearance: Very short brunette hair that he spikes only at the front (like those irritating football styles), quite pale and very tall at around 6ft1/2. He usually wears a white ¾ length sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans with black converse.  
Anima Positive: Robert is combined with Tiger DNA, making him very powerful, quick tempered and protective of his friends and territory. Roberts's ears and tail are also only visible in battle and he can turn into a Bengal tiger.  
Powers: Robert controls the element of the earth and plants and has super strength.  
Best at: Fighting off a lot of enemies in one go. 

Robert is very powerful and often goes out of his way to get what he wants. But this dominant display can be easily broken down when he's surrounded by friends and family. Robert and Sapphire liked each other for a while, but Robert has found a better match for himself in Sam, who is much calmer. Despite this, Sapphire and Robert are still good friends. Robert has been compared to Cheryl Cole for his tough outer nature but soft inner shell.

Jedward = John and Edward  


John and Edward are both Anima Positives in this story, combined with Monkey DNA and given the powers to control fire and go invisible when they need to. Their ears and tail are also hidden until battle and they can turn into black and white capuchin monkeys (think of Jack the monkey in Pirates of the Caribbean). John is currently dating Sapphire, while Edward has been wrapped up with Kyle, making for interesting drama as Kyle and John are best friends and so are Edward and Sapphire. Jedward provide good cover and information for the team when they are on missions as the boys can use their monkey abilities and invisibility skills to overhear conversations and spy on enemies.

**So, what are you thinking so far? On with the story!**


	2. Boredom, What Boredom?

**Well, here it is! My X Factor fic that I sort of said I would write as just a one-shot between Simon and Louis and has now become a full blown fic. But the rabbids insisted on it! Don't worry, Simon/Louis will occur at some point. And do forgive the Character intros, it's just that I hate reading a story with no visual idea of who you are following. So I was include descriptions so people get to know my own little characters :) Well, enjoy and review dear readers!  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X Factor or anybody on the show or related to it. I only own my four OC's and this plot.**

**Peppermint Candy – X Factor Undercover  
Chapter 1 – Boredom? What boredom?**

"I am so bored."  
Sapphire was lounging about on one of the club sofas. Their club 'Peppermint Candy' was heaving as usual and everyone seemed to be having a good time – except Sapphire, John, Edward and Robert. The dog girl had grown tired and restless of only doing club work and never having any exciting missions from Max. John and Edward agreed with her. The twins had moved out from their parents a while ago, and after running out of money had begged Sapphire and co. to take them in. Discovering the two were Anima Positive as well had only added to the friendship the team shared. But lately there had been nothing to do except run the club; and that had lost its magic too, due to the non-existent trouble. Everyone knew the club was for anybody at all and was very open-minded so homophobes and racists stayed away. But Sapphire would have loved to be able to go out and fight someone right now if only to alleviate her boredom for a few minutes!  
"I agree. We have absolutely nothing to do!" John sighed in frustration.  
"Aww hopefully we'll get some good news soon!" Edward tried to cheer the group up. They all sighed in boredom again. Suddenly they noticed the music dying down and most of the bars occupants heading out. She checked her phone. 2am! The club didn't usually die down like this until five or six in the morning! Walking over to the bar Kyle stopped her.  
"Get the others. We actually have a mission!"

Heading down into the basement, Sapphire had never felt so happy to be working again. Hopefully the mission would be an incredibly long one, to take her out of town for a while. She needed something different, something she would enjoy. Sapphire was about to get her wish…  
"Good evening everyone." The electronic voice and the giant black M appeared on the basement screen as usual. "The request I have for you today is a strange but urgent one. The X Factor has faced a surprising amount of backlash and public tempers are running high against the show. The producers are fearful that harm may come to the final contestants and the judges, so are asking you to guard the judges and the contestants. Sam, you will be keeping an eye on Danni Minogue, Robert, you will accompany Cheryl Cole, Kyle, you are to keep an eye on Louis Walsh and Sapphire, you must, at all cost, keep Simon Cowell safe. Your job is extremely important for this mission." Sapphire was ecstatic. Keep Simon safe! She'd stick to him like glue! She was a huge fan of his and to be honoured with the duty of guarding him and the X Factor – the dog girl felt like she'd died and gone to heaven. "John, Edward; you must blend in with the other contestants. You must act average – do not stand out or the entire operation could be blown." The boys nodded. In real life, they were actually very good singers and dancers, but to showcase their talents would be like parading a sign that said 'NOT NORMAL'. That could attract bad attention. "I have the best faith in you team. Get going." The video ended.  
"Oh man! We have the best jobs EVER!" Sapphire squealed as John hugged her. Edward danced around with Kyle, cheering "we got the X Factor, we got the X Factor!" Robert was laughing and clapping his hands while Sam smirked and shook his head. They may be excited now, but looking after celebrities was a tough lifestyle. Still, at least they were only guarding them.

The day arrived for the team to meet their wards and for the twins to audition. The judges didn't know about John and Edward's involvement with the team. They just assumed it was an ordinary audition.  
Robert and Cheryl became good friends straight away and Danni and Sam were chatting comfortably. Kyle and Louis were laughing together about old Irish legends and Sapphire and Simon had been discussing previous contestants and new ideas for the show.  
"I mean, a wildcard act would be so interesting for audiences don't you think? They wouldn't know who was coming up on the show and it would be so much fun!"  
"Actually, that is a great idea." Simon mused. "I'm gonna have a think about that for the 2010 series. I would put it forward now, but the producers were slightly annoyed that a group had been placed in right at the last minute!" Sapphire and Kyle exchanged glances. John and Edward had barely made the closing date for applications and it has mucked the show around a bit.  
_'Serves them right for telling us about the mission so late!' _Sapphire thought. Suddenly there was a loud buzzer sound and a crew member ran up to the group.  
"Five minute break, then we film you walking in to the stage." He ran off. Simon sighed.  
"We never get five minutes around here to enjoy a decent chat, its cameras 24/7." Sapphire grinned.  
"Yeah, but you love it really." She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth, not believing she'd actually said it out loud. Louis and Kyle were roaring with laughter and Simon was smirking.  
"Yes actually, I do." He grinned and gave her a quick one armed hug. Still chuckling slightly, the four Anima's left the judges to follow out of sight of the cameras.

The day had been interesting to say the least, but not very productive in Simon's opinion.  
"He always feels that we never find enough good acts. We're always overflowing with talent!" Louis told Kyle and Sapphire. "He just moans because we've never truly found anyone who can stay in the limelight long enough!"  
"But what about Leona Lewis? I like her a lot and she is so successful now!" Kyle added. Louis nodded his head in agreement.  
"Yes, she's doing very well, so Simon doesn't have much to complain about." Smirking Sapphire stood up and crossed her arms, looking over to where Simon was having his stage makeup re-applied.  
"He doesn't have anything to complain about. I wish I had this lifestyle." Louis laughed.  
"Nah, I'm sure your life is interesting enough." Sapphire shook her head.  
"Running the club is fun, but there just isn't enough to do. We're all pretty efficient being what we are, so I always feel bored." Louis nodded.  
"Ahh, I get it. So what is it like being Anima Positive. I've never met anyone like that before!" Sapphire laughed and let him stroke her ears.  
"It's good fun really. We do have a lot of laughs and the powers make life much easier." She used telekinesis to pull an apple from the table into her hands, to Louis amazement. "Simon would make a good Cat Anima Positive. Sly, well-groomed and graceful with a big ego." Louis and Kyle were once again in tears of laughter. Even Cheryl and Danni were laughing this time. Simon merely smirked back. Sapphire's grin got even wider. She never wanted to leave these people. Never.

The next day, the gang found themselves in Ireland, looking forward to John and Edward's audition. The boys had headed home to their parents, giving a homey, normality feel to their performance and appearance. As the two walked on stage, Sapphire had to hold herself back from cheering… and then from laughing as they announced that they were called 'John and Edward.' Well, if you can't think of anything good, don't bother. The boys were fabulously funny and made great TV – something Sapphire could hear Simon chanting in his mind over and over again, despite his comments. Best of all, Louis loved the two and put them through straight away, much to Kyle's happiness and relief. Going outside quickly for a cigarette, Sapphire rang John.  
"Cutting it a bit close there, weren't you?" She smirked.  
"Come on Saff, he said average!" John giggled at the other end. The dog girl rolled her eyes.  
"I suppose so. Just, try not to get kicked out too soon. Oh, Louis loved you by the way, so if we can persuade the producers to give him the groups then we'll be alright!"  
"Fantastic!" John shouted down the phone, making Sapphire pull it away from her head for a moment. The guy did have a real set of lungs on him! Hanging up, she headed back into the dressing room, only to hear in her head;  
_'Louis is looking good today. Wonder if he actually painted those trousers on?' _Completely shocked, she turned to see the owner of the stray thought, Simon Cowell staring directly at the Irish judge! She zoned into Louis' mind, hearing right away what she wanted.  
_'Wearing these suit pants was worth it this morning. Simon hasn't taken his eyes off me once this break. Will have to pay him back later…' _Sapphire pulled out of her mind listening. It was times like these that she really wished she couldn't hear people's thoughts.

**End of Chapter 1.**

**Well? Didn't see THAT coming did ya! Told you I'd be slipping Loumon in there! So now, not only does Sapphire have to guard the judges, she'll be juggling Jedward's secret double role AND the private life of Simon that she can unfortunately hear in her head! Hoping you enjoy this! :) I love my little rabbids for coming up with this amazing plot for me! Please review nicely! **


	3. Secrets should remain secrets!

**This story is running away with me! Seriously, I finish chapter one and the rabbids wake up and stampede me with an idea for chapter two that I just can't leave in my mind until tomorrow. So, you lucky people are gonna get about three or four chapters all in one go! Enjoy it!  
Disclaimer: I still own nothing, See character description page for full details.**

**Chapter 2 – Secrets should remain secrets**

It wasn't the fact that they were gay together that shocked Sapphire. She and her team mates were all bisexual anyway (except for Kyle, who was gay). It was the fact that the two could be so openly mean towards each other and still have a good relationship. Then again, Robert hadn't been the nicest person in the world to her when they were together in public, but he could be really romantic at home. Shaking her head, Sapphire wished again that she didn't have her powers.  
"Sapphire? Are you okay?" She froze. Simon had walked up right behind. Okay, now she was grateful she didn't project thoughts into people's minds. If he knew what she had heard…  
"Yep, absolutely fine Simon! Just had a bit of a headache, shaking helps it go away." She grinned. Simon looked puzzled for a moment then burst out laughing.  
"You do make me laugh Sapphire." He walked off in the direction of his dressing room. She let out a sigh of relief and walked the same way to the room she had been given close to his. 

Walking past his room, Sapphire had a full on head rush of sexual thoughts that almost made her moan herself. _'Fantastic, Louis must be in there too. Okay I may find guys together hot, but this is basically eavesdropping. And I DON'T want to hear it this time!' _Covering her ears, she sat outside Simon's door to stop anyone from walking in.  
Kyle walked past, looking for the team and the judges. Apparently the producers wanted to get moving quickly to make sure they could have a good rest in the next city on their journey. He stopped to see Sapphire crouched down outside Simon Cowell's door with her hands over her ears.  
"Saff? What's up?" The young girl looked up at him, looking embarrassed.  
"Oh trust me, you don't want to know." Kyle shook his head and guided her up towards her own room, knocking slightly on Simon's door before they passed. Sitting her down on her bed, Kyle again questioned what had happened.  
"If that ego maniac has upset you Saff, I swear- " Sapphire's hand in the air stopped him.  
"No, nothing like that. It's just, well, I heard some thoughts today I didn't want to hear." Kyle looked surprised.  
"Nasty comments about John and Edward?" He questioned. She shook her head.  
"No. X-rated ones. Between – " she bit her lip slightly and decided to go for it anyway. They were looking after the two judges involved. "Simon and Louis. I felt like such an eavesdropper! But you HAVE to promise, you won't tell them what we know!" Kyle looked shocked for a moment and then stood up.  
"We have to say something Saff. If you let something out, then they'll know and they'll feel more upset and embarrassed that you kept it secret!" Sapphire slowly stood up.  
"If we get fired, I blame you."

Standing in Simon's dressing room, Sapphire had never felt so annoyed at herself. She'd been practising shielding her mind-reading power for ages, only using it when useful. And now, because she assumed that it was a work environment, she'd let her guard down. What was Sam always saying? Ah yes, 'pay attention at all times'. Now she knew why.  
"Well, what's wrong?" Simon asked, concerned for his new friend. Sapphire hadn't been at all surprised to see Louis looking just as worried for her in the room – it only made sapphire feel worse at herself.  
"I forgot to mention that as an Anima Positive, we all have some extra powers that were given to us when we were created. Mine are the ability to control water and psychic abilities. I can move objects with my mind and; hear people's thoughts. And I think I may have heard some… more private thoughts between you two." She bit her lip nervously. Louis blushed a bit but Simon didn't seem fazed at all. "I really am sorry! I probably should have warned you before. I'll keep my mental shield up at all times now, I promise!"  
"No, it's honestly fine. Actually I'm quite glad that people know now. Are you okay with this?" Sapphire nodded to Simon.  
"Yeah, I think it's romantic! As long as two people truly love each other, nothing should matter in their relationship." She smiled. Simon grinned back.  
"Well then, you can do me another favour – don't keep that shield up. If you hear us, I may need you to guard the door." Sapphire blushed slightly again.  
"I'll try." She replied. "But unfortunately, your thoughts tend to 'distract' me a little myself." Simon was now giving her a strange stare. "It's the powerful emotions behind them! It happens when anyone thinks something with emotion near me. I suddenly feel the same way, whether I agree or disagree with what I've heard!" Louis and Simon both burst out laughing and Kyle grinned.  
"I told you it was the best idea to say something. Don't worry guys; I have your back too." He winked. Sapphire almost jumped. She'd forgotten the rat guy was in here. Still chuckling, the four exited the room and made their way to the helicopters waiting. Simon and Sapphire climbed into the same one, Sapphire making a mental note to listen carefully to Simon's thoughts, in case he had special instructions that he couldn't say out loud. After all, the headsets they were wearing could be listened in to by the producers and their pilot.

"Louis hates heights you know." Sapphire mildly passed on to Simon. He turned to stare at her.  
"What?" Now it was the bluenette's turn to look shocked.  
"I assumed you must have known! I could hear his thoughts all the way from his copter to ours! He keeps calm on the outside, but his head is a raging mess of tangled thoughts. I had to mentally separate each one!" Simon looked concerned and said thoughtfully -  
"Maybe I should tell the producers that he and I should travel in the same copter and Danni and Cheryl can travel in one. Blame it on the environment." Sapphire chuckled lightly at this.  
"It could work." She grinned and the two walked indoors to find some food.

**End of Chapter 2.**

**Hmm, it certainly is getting steamy in here! Perhaps I should open a window… Are you enjoying this story? Please tell me! Reviewers will get special messages and hugs from their favourite character, Sapphire, Sam, Robert or Kyle! Flamers will be beaten by their own hurtful comments and kicked out of the X Factor lounge. Look out for more, on the way soon!**


	4. Let's get one thing straight

**Okay, so I know I promised I was gonna update more… the ideas all sort of ran away from me. So from now on, I'll just update when my creative genius comes back and apologise if it's a very long period between chapters. Then you don't get false hopes and I get more ideas and less of a deadline rush! :L Enjoy.  
Disclaimer: See chapter 1. **

**Chapter 3 – Lets get one thing straight. **

Sapphire yawned and stretched, squinting at the bright sunlight flowing through the curtains. The idea of sharing helicopters from yesterday had gone by without a hitch and Simon had said they would all be staying in the finest hotel in Dublin. Louis had first insisted that they might as well just stay at his place, but Sam pointed out it might not be such a bad idea to keep away from their own houses until the actual stage of the competition. Just to be on the safe side. Kyle and Sapphire had both agreed with each other that it was a smart but ridiculous point. Who would be able to get to the judges when the four of them were standing guard? But Simon had already confirmed the hotel booking, so the group were staying in top accommodation. Sapphire rubbed at her eyes sleepily and got up to shower. The hot water felt good running down her back. Training with Robert yesterday had been more difficult than usual, as he had been practicing some earth moves that were more difficult to dodge. The result – Sapphire had to use most of her upper body strength to throw powerful punches and accurate water attacks to shoot down the boulders and vines he had sent towards her. Sighing, the dog girl turned off the shower and got dressed, heading downstairs to meet the others at breakfast in their private dining room.

"GET DOWN! HAND THEM OVER, NO-ONE GETS HURT!" A man in a balaclava, completely dressed in black was screaming at the three boys who were shielding the judges. A large gun was being pointed directly in Sam's face and the others were also being watched. A big disadvantage when they needed their arms to fight. Any false move could result in a bullet being fired. Sapphire sneakily clung on to the ceiling, moving across on all fours. Sam's fantastic plan had failed.  
_'I really hate the paparazzi right now.' _She thought miserably. Holding her feet to the ceiling with her telekinesis, she swung her head down behind the attacker and tapped him on the shoulder. The man swung round, but before he could fire the gun Sapphire had pulled her fist back and punched him in the stomach. He clutched his middle and sank to the floor groaning. Crouching up to the ceiling, Sapphire pushed off and flipped lightly to land on her feet, ears and tail alert in case the attacker was faking. When his eyes closed and his pulse evened out to sleep rate, she knew it was fine.  
"Well, nothing like a little drama for breakfast."

As the group finished their breakfast, the man groaned and started to wake up. Sapphire was extremely pissed off at this guy. He was amateurish at best and he had obviously been doing it for attention. But the gun he had in his hands was extremely dangerous. She felt like pulling her own gun on him, seeing how he liked it. Instead, she settled for dragging him up of the floor and holding him up by the front of his jacket.  
"Listen here kid!" She snarled. "What you tried wasn't funny. You could have seriously hurt someone. You're lucky I don't hurt you. If we were in my home turf, believe me you wouldn't be leaving with all your limbs intact!" The man was shaking, gasping out an explanation.  
"P…ple...please, please, it was just a dare. I said I could get them to meet my friends in person, I said I knew them! Please, I won't do anything like this again." Putting her face really close to his, Sapphire snarled out a warning.  
"You better not."  
"Sapphire, let him go, we have more important work to do." Sam sighed. Sapphire dropped the man on the floor, where he gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, stammered out another apology and ran away. She rejoined the table.  
"I hate punks like that. Think they can do what they want because they have a gun and a big ego." Danni turned to face her.  
"You've faced people like that before?" The Aussie judge was still a bit shaken. She was used to obsessive mail before, but nobody had pulled a gun on the judges just because they had boasted to their friends before!  
"Yeah. They wouldn't really fire on anybody. Not intentionally anyway. They just think they have the right to take what they want and when their challenged alone they suddenly back down very quickly." Sam answered.  
"Cowards." Sapphire and Kyle muttered at the same time.  
"Its ridiculous how many people behave like that these days." Robert joined in. Louis shook his head.  
"I believe we owe you a lot more than just a comfy hotel bed." Simon said. "You really are protecting us here."  
"Don't mention it." Sapphire spoke around a piece of toast. "You're becoming good friends! And we don't let friends get hurt. That's all we wanna see." Kyle grinned.  
"Cheesy but nice sentiment Saff." The dog girl simply wagged her tail in response, making Louis laugh into his coffee.

Packing her things up, Sapphire heard a tap against her window. She pulled back the curtains and lifted up the window, looking down to see -  
"JOHN! What are you doing here!" She quickly pulled the grinning blonde boy into the room.  
"Come on, I don't have to be back on the show for ages! I wanted to see you." Sapphire smiled.  
"I do miss you a lot. I wish they had just pulled you in as back-up guards instead of contestants. You could have been really helpful this morning.  
"Mmmm I heard. Kyle told Edward and me everything. I've left my brother there." Sapphire laughed, wagging her tail.  
"I hope Robert opens that door." John leaned forward to kiss the dog girl. It was soft and sweet and Sapphire felt like she could kiss her boyfriend all day, but a knock on the door interrupted her.  
"We've got ten minutes till we need to leave!" One of the crew members called out, walking away to knock on the others doors.  
"I guess I have to again." John sighed. Sapphire thought for a moment and then grinned.  
"How long can you and Edward hold your invisibility for?"

Sapphire tried to keep her smirk hidden as she walked out to Simon's car. John was following close behind her, keeping up a steady stream of thoughts, some of which she would occasionally mutter answers to, pretending she was trying to answer questions on her phone. Edward had accompanied Kyle and Louis on their trip and had apparently been poking Kyle the whole way, making him jump and scowl at an empty seat. She hadn't been able to hold back her laughter then and had blamed it on a fairly dirty joke from an app on her phone, which also had Simon laughing. The car journey had been fairly pleasant, Sapphire and Simon chatting as usual, with a few questions thrown in about their lives. It was when they arrived at the auditions that the trouble arrived.

The exits from the car had been shot and the judges were allowed to walk towards the building. When John tried to exit the car though, he managed to trip on the step out and landed on his face. Shouting 'OUCH!' his invisibility dropped as he rubbed his head. He glanced up to see Sapphire with a guilty grin on her face and Simon glaring at him.  
"WHAT is going on here?" Sam demanded angrily. Edward stepped forward as well, dropping his disguise.  
"It's not fair! You get to see Robert everyday, and now Kyle and I have to wait just because they want John and Edward to act in the competition!" Sapphire protested.  
"We just wanted some time for a bit." Kyle wearily explained, looping an arm around Edward's neck. Sapphire hugged john when he stood up, pouting a little at Sam.  
"I don't think it will matter too much, as long as they're not around when the cameras are rolling." Simon mused. "I'm guessing you two are Anima Positive too"  
"Yep! Monkeys! With powers of fire and invisibility." John stated proudly. Louis laughed.  
"Aww come on, having them around won't affect the team. After all, some motivation from your partner is the best thing to keep your mind on the job." Louis winked at Sapphire, who smiled back.  
"Alright then." Simon sighed. "But don't get in the way of filming! We have to keep it all under wraps for the show."  
"YES!" Sapphire shouted triumphantly, rushing forward to hug Simon tightly. "Thank you, thank you, and thank you!" She squealed with happiness then let the judge go, running forward to hug John and plant kisses on his face. Simon and Louis laughed, with Cheryl and Danni grinning and walking indoors. Sam sighed, but accepted defeat and followed the girls indoors, along with Robert. The rest of the gang headed inside, laughing and joking together.

At the break, Simon and Louis were chatting to John and Edward, when sapphire rushed over.  
"Come on!" She said, pulling John to his feet. "I just found the BEST training spot ever!"  
"What!" Edward, Simon and Louis followed the two to a large basement with four concrete pillars in each corner. There were steps down into the basement area, with metal railings and a platform around the room.  
"We could really have a training match here!" Sapphire chattered excitedly.  
"What, now? Do we have time?" John glanced up at Simon, who nodded eagerly.  
"Go ahead. I really want to watch this." Louis just shook his head and followed him along the platform to watch the match.  
"Sapphire Dreamcatcher versus John Grimes!" Edward announced.  
"Winner gets a packet of minstrels and a slave for the day!" Sapphire shouted back. John laughed.  
"Agreed. BEGIN!" Edward shouted. Immediately John leapt forward, trying to hit Sapphire in the stomach, the dog girl waited until he was close enough and then grabbed onto his outstretched fist, using it to balance on as she jumped above and kicked him hard in the face. He shot backwards and landed flat on the floor. Sapphire gracefully landed on her feet.  
"Is that really the best you have today? Come on John, I know you hit harder than that!" Suddenly, the boy in front of her grew monkey ears and a tail, then vanished. Sapphire closed her eyes.  
_'Listen carefully. Block out his thoughts. Listen to his footsteps ad feel the air.' _ To her right, a small step was heard and hot breath, suddenly close to her ears. "THERE!" she shouted triumphantly, and landed a direct hit to John's face. The blonde reappeared, staggering backwards and rubbing his cheek.  
"That one really hurt." He muttered. He suddenly jumped backwards and threw powerful flames at Sapphire, who countered with a sharp blast of water and using her telekinesis to grab John's ankle and hold him upside down. Using her power she threw him clear across, the room, Louis and Simon pulling back a little in fear. Edward only smirked though, as John quickly used his tail to grab onto one of the pillars and swing round. Sapphire growled and crouched low to the ground, pushing off fast and running forward to punch a large hole into the pillar John was on. The boy leapt off and transformed into a Capuchin monkey, quickly followed by Sapphire, now a husky. She snapped at him with her teeth as he leapt above onto the platform. Transforming back, John sent one last shower of fire down onto Sapphire, who didn't move. Waiting until the fire was almost hitting her, she used her psychic power to stop the fire and shoot it straight back towards John. The monkey ducked and shouted down.  
"I give! I give! My jaw and back is killing me." Sapphire grinned wolfishly and transformed back.  
"Ha! I knew it would slow you down. Always land a powerful move first. Gets your enemy down quicker."  
"The winner is Sapphire!" Edward cheerfully announced.  
"Oh boy! Minstrels, minstrels, minstrels." She chanted happily, running up the stairs to meet the others.  
"That was some power." Simon greeted the two.  
"Oh that's just the very beginnings of what we can do. If we had more space and more obstacles to use, that battle could have gone on for ages!" The dog girl explained. Edward nodded, with John grumbling about how Sapphire shouldn't kick people in the face. The group headed back toward the break room.

"I'm so tired." Kyle yawned, as the gang headed back out to the cars after another day of filming. "I just can't seem to get to sleep!"  
"Well, I can help with that." Edward winked, making Kyle choke and cough on air and Sapphire and Simon howl with laughter. Sighing, the dog girl and her blonde boyfriend stared up at the darkening sky. Although the mission was going smoothly and easily, it wasn't any less boring than an exciting and dangerous one. The judges were becoming firm friends and Sapphire really would be sad to see the end of this X Factor series.  
"Oi! If you're just gonna stare at the sky, I'm leaving you here!" Simon called out. Laughing, John and Sapphire raced back to the car, climbing in. It had been an excellent day.

**End of chapter 3.**

**Well, what you thinking? Review! :D**

**I know, I know there isn't much Loumon slash happening, but believe me, I shall fit some in. Maybe next chapter will have sneak peeks into each person's hotel room? Carry on reading to find out! **


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